Fundacion Cisneros and Barrick Gold Corporation Create Alliance to Expand Key Education Program

NEW YORK, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fundacion Cisneros and Barrick Gold Corporation have announced a collaborative agreement to help improve education in Latin America, addressing one of the continent's most urgent needs. Working together, the two organizations will expand the reach of AME -- Actualizacion de Maestros en Educacion, or Professional Development for Educators -- the Fundacion's dynamic program devoted to improving the skills of teachers throughout Latin America. Under the new agreement, AME will be offered for the first time in Chile, and will expand its base in Argentina, Peru, and the Dominican Republic, enabling the program to reach more teachers and students in the region.

AME uses distance-learning technologies, such as the Internet, television, and video, to offer free, comprehensive professional-development courses to teachers across Latin America. While content and administrative support are provided by the Fundacion Cisneros, the delivery of the program in Chile and to the new sites in Argentina, the Dominican Republic, and Peru will be facilitated and coordinated by Barrick Gold.

Fundacion Cisneros Chairman Patricia Phelps de Cisneros states, "The Fundacion Cisneros, with its mission to improve education and help achieve universal literacy, is delighted to have entered into this partnership with Barrick Gold. Not only will it increase the number of teachers, and therefore students, who benefit from AME, but, with its exciting new course on the teaching of digital literacy, it will help to ensure that the promise of technology to increase access to information and education is transformed into a reality. Bridging the "digital divide" has been a long-term objective of the Fundacion Cisneros."

Igor Gonzales, President, Barrick South America, adds, "Barrick invests in education programs in the communities where we operate because we recognize there is a direct link between education and quality of life. We are very pleased to join forces with the Fundacion Cisneros and support this innovative program, which is giving teachers in Latin America access to technology and professional support systems. We share their vision that well-trained teachers can inspire students, raise academic standards, and make an important contribution to national development."

Under the agreement between the Fundacion Cisneros and Barrick, an introductory digital-literacy course will also be provided for participating teachers, which will better enable them to fulfill AME requirements.

AME

Actualizacion de Maestros en Educacion is a keystone educational initiative of the Venezuela-based Fundacion Cisneros, a private philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the lives of all Latin Americans. AME focuses on the teaching of reading and writing, mathematics, health education, environmental education, ethics and values, overcoming poverty, information technologies, and conflict resolution, among other topics. The program helps educators improve their skills and update their knowledge, focusing on practical teaching methods that can be quickly adapted to the classroom. Available to teachers everywhere, and enabling them to work on their own time, AME has built an effective virtual teaching-and-learning network that enables collaboration among teachers in different locations.

Through AME, a powerful ensemble of public, private, and government institutions is working to raise the quality of education across Latin America. Six universities -- Universidad Central de Venezuela, Universidad Metropolitana de Venezuela, Universidad Simon Bolivar de Venezuela, Universidad del Zulia de Venezuela, Universidad Pontificia Javeriana de Colombia, and Universidad Cayetano Heredia de Peru -- develop the courses, evaluate the teachers, and provide certification. To date, AME has been offered in ten Latin American countries. Thanks to Barrick's support, the addition of Chile brings that total to eleven.

Fundacion Cisneros

The nonprofit, Caracas-based Fundacion Cisneros initiates and administers a diverse range of programs dedicated to improving the daily lives of all Latin Americans and increasing global awareness of the breadth of Latin America's contributions to world culture. Founded by Patricia Phelps de Cisneros and Gustavo Cisneros, in association with the Cisneros Group of Companies, the Fundacion Cisneros draws on the media resources of the Cisneros Group to build innovative programs and partnerships that focus on education and culture.

Barrick Gold

Barrick Gold Corporation is the world's preeminent gold mining company with twenty-seven operating mines and 20,000 employees worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Barrick's vision is to be the world's best gold company by finding, acquiring, developing and producing quality reserves in a safe, profitable, and socially responsible manner. Founded in 1983, Barrick celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2008. Barrick shares are traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.barrick.com.